Justis Huni has paid homage to the influence of former world champion Mike Tyson on his boxing journey, as he prepares to take on Kiki Leutele in a heavyweight showdown just around the corner from his Brisbane home.
Huni, undefeated in six professional fights, had a full collection of boxing recordings as a youth with Tyson the focal point.
"When I first started, I grew up learning off Mike Tyson. I would watch his tapes over and over," Huni told AAP.
"With Tyson it was his aggressiveness and how ferocious he was when he threw his punches that appealed to me.
"It was about the excitement that he was able to bring. With his knockouts he drew eyeballs onto him. That is what I want to do.
"I also studied Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield because they all brought something different to their craft.
"Holyfield had the movement and was always on his toes. Lewis could fight long and short."
Huni would take aspects of each fighter and try and insert them into his own repertoire.
As well as the heavyweights, the Queenslander started analysing boxers across the weight divisions; with Roy Jones Jr, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao top of his list.
"Coming through the amateurs I started looking at the lighter guys who move around and hit but don't get hit," he said.
"Now I am back to the heavyweights and heavy hitters, and looking for that knockout, but still doing it smart."
At the weigh-in at Nissan Arena on Thursday, New Zealander Leutele tipped the scales at 112.1kg while Huni recorded 109.5kg.
Friday night's fight in Brisbane's south is a home bout for Huni, in more ways than one.
"It is only two minutes down the road from where I live. It is literally my backyard," he said.
"I have been saying that I should run there before the fight for a warm-up.
"I am just excited to put all of this training I have done over in LA with Justin Fortune into this fight and show everyone that I am not the over-hyped boxer that they make me out to be."
Leutele has not had a lot to say ahead of the fight but did have one word to describe his approach.
"Lethal," he said.
"We both love fighting, not talking. I am really excited. It is a big opportunity. This is the best training camp I have had. I have cut no corners.
"It is going to be a tough fight for me. I know he is a sensational fighter. We are both going for the knockout. We won't disappoint anyone who watches.
"It is going to be a war."
